


The Best Hugs

by camichats



Series: Imagine James and Sirius Prompts [141]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Chubby James Potter, Comfort, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24119929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: James hasn't hit the growth that the other Marauders have yet, and every now and then, he feels kinda down about it. As always, Sirius is there with a hug and an assurance that he's the best thing on two legs.
Relationships: Sirius Black/James Potter
Series: Imagine James and Sirius Prompts [141]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/752925
Comments: 4
Kudos: 97





	The Best Hugs

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: “Please can you do one about James going through puberty changes and maybe get a bit sturdy or pudgy and still fairly shorter than Sirius, and being quite uncomfortable without letting it slips to the others; while Sirius gets it and comfort it - without being too cheesy of course! Thank you!!”

James had always had a certain vision of how he would grow up. It would be a slow, steady climb from boy to manhood where he got taller and built up muscles as he lost the baby fat his parents were so fond of. 

Growing up in reality was not like that. And he kind of hated it. It was like that for Sirius and Remus and Peter. They got a little taller; their bodies started to look more balanced so they could pass as adults the more baby fat left their faces. And James stayed the same for a while. And then he started gaining weight. 

Now it's not like James really minded it on himself-- more cushion and better hugs, that was a life that _could not_ improve-- but, well... he'd sort of looked forward to being conventionally handsome. His father was old but had aged well, and James had seen pictures of him when him and Mum got married; he looked handsome as hell, and James was of the mind that he should look the same. Blah blah he was fifteen, he'd grow more- _whatever_. The fact of the matter was that he was in love with Sirius _now_ , and if he let him date around, it was possible that he'd find someone he liked more than James. It was hard to imagine, sure, but it was possible and he didn't want to take any chances. People like Sirius did not grow on trees-- if they did, James would have an orchard, okay?-- which meant that there wasn't time to waste. Now if he could get his body to get with the program, he'd feel a lot better about asking him on a date. 

But despite his very logical protests, James's body refused to listen to him. So here he was. He had to look up when he talked to Sirius-- who had shot up like a Merlin's cursed beanstalk-- and there was more than a little ribbing from the other players on the Gryffindor Quidditch team that he didn't have the muscle definition that they all had. He liked the guys on the team. He really did. But sod it, sometimes they were a pain in the arse that he didn't want to have to deal with. 

After the game against Hufflepuff-- Gryffindor won even though the 'Puffs caught the snitch-- he took off the kit that needed to stay in the locker room then headed up to the Tower. He was going to take a shower in the dormitory because he was one hundred percent not in the mood to hear a single comment about 'Potter pudge' or whatever else they thought was harmless teasing today. James felt sweaty and dirty and not as high on victory as he wanted to be. By the time he got out of the shower, everyone else should be returning to the Tower, and they could have a victory party like they usually did without anyone noticing that his timing was a little off. 

James figured that he would have a little time by himself, with the team in the locker room and the rest of the House slowly trickling away from the field. He should've realised that Sirius knew him as well as he knew himself, because who else would've come straight to the Tower just to wait for him? 

Sirius was laying on James's bed with his legs hanging off the edge, swinging his feet back and forth. He looked up when he heard the door, then grinned when he saw it was James and sat up. "Hey mate. Great game out there." 

"Thanks," James said, grinning back at him in kind. "Did you see Benjy for that pass?" 

Sirius barked out a laugh. "He almost dropped it." 

"Yeah, but then he scored, so I'm not planning on giving him a hard time over it." 

"Mm, you're going to do the good Captain thing and wait until next practice to make him drill passes that he needs to catch from behind." 

"Exactly." James kicked off his shoes, and normally this was the part where he'd throw his dirty shirt at Sirius for sitting on his bed, but he didn't... well, there wasn't a good way of phrasing it, but it was the truth: he didn't have the confidence for that. 

Evidently, Sirius had noticed that something was wrong with their usual rhythm because his smile faded into something gentler. "You alright there, Prongs?" 

"Yeah, of course." 

"James. Remember who you're talking to." Ever since Sirius had had to admit that his parents were abusing him, he and James hadn't really allowed for secrets they were ashamed of. 

James swallowed, ruffling his hair as he looked down at the floor. "It's stupid," he muttered. 

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it's bothering you, so I want to know." 

"I haven't-" James started, only to stop just as quickly. He blew out a breath, grabbing a change of clothes from his trunk. 

Sirius craned his neck around to keep looking at him but said nothing further to push him into sharing. 

"Everybody else on the team is thin," he admitted in a quiet voice. Saying these insecurities aloud made them feel more real. It's not like he hated his body or summat, but he knew that it wasn't desirable. He kept trying to remind himself that it didn't matter how desirable he looked, but all attempts fell flat the next time he saw Sirius and remembered the vision he'd had of their future and how they would look together. "And I know that it doesn't matter, and it's not like any of them actually care-- they're just taking the piss-- but it still- it's too much sometimes, you know?" 

"Yeah," Sirius said, not because he did, but because he knew it's what James needed to hear. He turned to face him fully. "D'you want a hug? I hear I give excellent hugs." 

"You heard that from me. I'm the one that told you that." 

"See? It's from a reliable source. C'mere," Sirius said, holding his arms open. 

"I'm going to get you all sweaty," James muttered, but he didn't think for a moment that that would change Sirius's mind. 

Sirius wiggled his fingers impatiently, and James gave a sigh that was completely for show before curling up against him. 

"Feels silly," he said, even quieter than before. 

"Nope." Sirius pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Not silly. It didn't last long for me, but the same thing happened a couple years ago and I sort of panicked. 'Course, it was over summer hols so by the time I saw you again, I was pretty much over it bothering me, and then a couple months after that the extra fat was gone so." He shrugged. "That being said, I like you like this." 

"That's because you're taller than me." 

"You give the best cuddles like this. It's improved your natural talent for it." 

James snorted, feeling better despite the fact that he wanted to brood about it for a minute longer. He needed to get a move on if he wanted to be in the Common Room in time for the party. "I'm going to take a shower." He wiggled out of his grip and started towards the washroom. 

"Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" 

It was on the tip of James's tongue to say no, but a glance backwards told him that there was something loaded in that question. A weight in Sirius's eyes that said he knew something and he wanted for James to admit it. The problem, of course, was that James had no idea what he was referring to. "I don't think so?" 

Sirius gave a short, "Hm." 

"Were we supposed to talk about something?" James had a shite memory at times, but he could've sworn that they were fine. 

Sirius looked at him for a minute, determination growing with every second until he finally said, "Why don't we talk about it after the party? Just the two of us." 

"Er, okay?" 

"Like a date." 

"Oh." James blinked. Then blinked again. Sirius was still sitting there, looking at him earnestly as he awaited a response. "Yeah. That's- yeah. Not to... sound like I don't believe you, but where did that come from?" 

"If you want to get down to the _very_ beginning, I would say when we were eleven on the Hogwarts Express but-" 

"That's not what I meant." 

"I know," Sirius said, winking. "I don't know what answer you're hoping for, though. It's not like I had a little alarm go off. I fancy you, and you fancy me. Why can't we keep it that simple for now?" 

James wanted to say that this was more than a passing fancy for him-- and that he wanted to know if it was the same for Sirius-- but he recognised the hint of vulnerability in his eyes and decided not to push it. Sirius would tell him when he wanted to; he always would. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is from a prompt driven blog @[imaginejamesandsirius](https://imaginejamesandsirius.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Feel free to drop by!


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